Bob Parkin
Bob Parkin loves four things in life: his wife of 49 years Rhonda, his two sons, his four grandchildren, and most importantly, his beloved Majura FC.
From his humble beginnings in Scotland, Bob migrated to Australia where he caught the eye of a young woman named Rhonda from Central New South Wales who he claims now runs the best canteen in ACT football.
Bob describes the two as a team that has essentially worked every possible job at Majura FC. Since joining the club in 1986, after their two sons were old enough to play, Bob and Rhonda have spent practically every weekend down at Dickson Playing Fields.
“We are still there every Saturday morning, helping to set up and Rhonda runs the canteen,” Bob said. “We see it as a hobby and the reward is seeing the kids play football, enjoying themselves.”
The 34 years of continuous service is being rewarded after winning the Capital Chemist Volunteer for the month of September.
Although, Bob acknowledges that his greatest achievement by far is being a grandfather to Lilian who has the best left foot for a nine-year-old he has ever seen. Now the challenge is convincing her to join Majura FC.
In his downtime, the proud Scotsman loves to cheer on Sydney FC, the Sydney Roosters and his beloved Dundee FC.
Most people who know Bob emphasise that the man doesn’t have a single bad thing to say about anybody unless, of course, you are a Dundee United fan.
Bob was nominated by the Majura FC administration officer, Jo Smith, who spoke incredibly highly of him and the integral part he plays in the club.
“He is out there in the rain, hail or shine. From 5am to 5pm, setting up fields and goals for more than 1200 junior players then helping to pack them away,” Jo shared
Bob is a more than deserving winner of the Capital Chemist Volunteer of the Month but similar to a good football team chemistry, chalks it up to everyone working towards the same goal.
“For me, it’s an honour to win the award and it comes down to a team effort,” Bob said. “There is a group of us who are really dedicated and they all deserve this award.”
